It's A Hard Knock Life
by Raesana
Summary: Sirius finally has had enough of his parents abuse, and family disdain for his choice of Gryffindor friends. He elects to move out with his friend James, and although his house is enormously more boring than his own, he can happily call himself family.


_Written for the Scavenger Hunt on Camp Potter, with the mandatory prompt of "write about moving into a new home," and the optional prompts of "Yellow," "Agree to disagree," "Pearls," "Excited," and "Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to make yourself useful?"_

_Story collaboration between two authors TrisanaChandler13 and KeepsAwayTheNargles :D_

* * *

A dark-haired teen, not quite a man, looked up at the large, dark, grandiose, mansion as he levitated his trunk out the door. He was leaving his parents' house for the last time, and moving in with his friend, James. At least, that's his plan.

Soon, he would be leaving the depressing, dark magic effused home and his weak, incestuous family members behind forever.

He would never have to go to another formal dinner in which a touchy and slightly drunk Bellatrix or weepy Narcissa would try to force themselves on him. He would never have to see all of the Purebloods gathered around a captured Muggleborn, torturing the poor person for fun, or see the women suffocating in expensive perfumes and half their weight in pearls and other rare ornaments for a dinner among the Wizarding elite. He was leaving behind the cold, cruel men who were only faithful to their wives for the span of their wedding night.

His family mocked his departure, hurling insults at his back.

"Yellow-bellied blood-traitor."

"Gryffinwhore," Bella would shout in her childish high pitched voice.

He did not want to think about anything that happened just now, and he would be leaving it behind, whatever rubbish was left in an already broken home. The house of Black wasn't just broken, but left in shambles and set on fire, with secrets and lies being used as kindling. Nothing he would ever consider himself involved in.

As of now, he's standing in front of his best mates house, hoping that his parents will take him in, they never liked Sirius' family, especially after the dreadful day Charlus, James's father, met his mum at King's Cross Station before James and I's second year at Hogwarts.

"Sirius! What on earth are you doing here, it's... What time is it? What's the matter?"

I just stood with my trunk fully packed outside his doorway and bluntly stated,"I left them. Forever."

James ushered his friend inside and begins to make tea. "You finally cracked haven't you? You can't leave, you know.

Sirius chuckles quietly, "Maybe I can. Your parents absolutely hate my mum and they haven't even met Orion yet! They love me like a son, just the same. If I explain my predicament maybe they'll let me stay."

James shakes his head,"You can try, mate. That's all I can say and you know it, but won't your family be looking for you?"

Sirius mirrors James by shaking his head as well, "No, not a chance. Next year I'm going to be seventeen, then I'll be a legal adult and they won't put in the effort."

Both of them sit at the table a small chill creeping up their spines, it's two o' clock in the morning by the clock on the wall and wand light is the only thing illuminating the room. The silence seemed to close and James' face is grim. He doesn't waste his smiles on what he knows to be a useless situation, his parents probably won't take him in.

"Sirius, it's understandable that you hate your family, but something had to motivate you to leave..." He sets the two teacups down between them careful not to spill their contents in the darkness. He takes the chair opposite of Sirius.

It's silent again for the moment, while Sirius wonders how he should explain, but he feels the cold immersing him and his voice shakes.

"They aren't like me. Not even the slightest, in every way Regulus is treated like the prince. He's Slytherin and upholds the blood purity belief system of holier-than-thou righteousness. Mum spends most days blasting my walls because she must have Muggle photos of Muggle girls in bikini's off, she tends to ignore me when Bella and Cissa pretty much sexually harass me every waking moment. She doesn't care for anything about me, and it's just high time I left by now because if anyone gave a damn, they would see that I'm failing my Hogwarts classes. They would see that I'm developing depression. I can't get out of that place and it's a living hell hole James!"

He clasps his hands together as if he were praying, "Sirius, I can't tell you that my parents will say yes, but that's disgusting. As your friend I will definitely not give up that easily. I won't let you go back, put it that way. Even if I have to hide you under the invisibility cloak all summer."

Sirius dissolves into laughter and tries to keep quite, but it doesn't really work and it's so contagious that James joins in. They are sitting in considerable darkness and after your best mate has just spilled his guts out to you about something terrible and both are laughing so hard their sides split.

"James Ignotus Potter, do you have any clue as to what time it is," James' mum wrapped in a yellow bathrobe steps down the stairs in a daze.

His father slightly more awake notices,"Sirius? Why are you here?"

It was now or never and whether, James's parents could ignore the explanation and kick Sirius out of their home, or they might be able to work out a compromise and agree to disagree, although it was never that way with his parents. He suspects they might let him stay for as long as they can take it before the two trouble makers become annoying gits. That happens when they're are together, so they are both told frequently.

It took a horrible amount of time to explain to the both of his parents that Sirius was now pretty much dead and gone to his family and there would be no way to get them to change their minds. Even when his mum shook her head in an understandable fashion it didn't look convincing enough. His father though was the one who met Walburga and it didn't take long for him to agree. Secretively I think Charlus like Sirius so much he wishes he were his own son.

In the end, James' dad convinced his mum and agreed to let Sirius stay over for the summer but on the condition that they stay out of trouble for the most part.

"Now go to bed and get some shut-eye, it's three in the morning!" His mum was really a nice person, she's just utterly grumpy and not adapt to waking up in the mornings or the middle of the night.

* * *

The next morning, almost afternoon, the pair awaken and go downstairs for some breakfast, and find James' mum at the stove heating the stove top with her wand. Upon seeing them she plops a plate of toast in front of them. "I'm nearly finished with the eggs but I have made toast."

She turns to drop an egg into the skillet. "Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to make yourself useful," She wags the butter knife at Sirius. "The toast doesn't butter itself! It would, but I don't trust you two charming knives in my house." With that Sirius smiles widely and gets on with the toast, knowing full well he will be treated as family, exactly what he's always wanted, and now he's got it.

_Fin_


End file.
